Tesla responds to sleeping driver video: Could be a 'dangerous' hoax
Tesla responded to the video of a sleeping driver behind the wheel of a Tesla on autopilot that has been circulating on social media, warning it could be a "dangerous" hoax.
"Many of these videos appear to be dangerous pranks or hoaxes. Our driver-monitoring system repeatedly reminds drivers to remain engaged and prohibits the use of Autopilot when warnings are ignored. At highway speeds, drivers typically receive warnings every 30 seconds or less if their hands aren't detected on the wheel," the Tesla spokesperson said.
"Tesla owners have driven billions of miles using Autopilot, and data from our quarterly Vehicle Safety Report indicates that drivers using Autopilot experience fewer accidents than those operating without assistance," the spokesperson continued.
Driver Dakota Randall was cruising down the Massachusetts Turnpike when he noticed something was off with the driver in the car next to him. He posted a video on Sunday of a man in the driver's seat of a Tesla who appears to be fast asleep.
Randall told NBC10 Boston that he tried honking to wake up the man and his passenger with no luck.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk retweeted a post from Monday claiming that "Tesla AutoPilot does not allow drivers to sleep behind the wheel."
"Tesla AutoPilot does not allow drivers to sleep behind the wheel[.] If the driver does not respond to attention prompts, the car will play a sound to try and get their attention /wake them up[.] If they still don't respond the car will automatically slow down and pull over," the tweet said.